THE NEXT AMERICA

English Becomes Dominant Language for Hispanics Two Generations After Immigration

By Stephanie Czekalinski

A survey of Hispanics shows that English becomes the dominant language in families two generations after an immigrant arrives in the United States.

The survey, released by the Pew Hispanic Center in April, found that even though English is the dominant language among the grandchildren of immigrants, Spanish persists.

A significant share of third-generation Latinos use Spanish when listening to music, watching television, and thinking, according to the survey.

A large majority of Hispanics, 87 percent, believe that Hispanic immigrants need to learn English to succeed in the U.S. But at the same time, the survey shows, 95 percent of Hispanic adults believe that it’s important for future generations of Hispanics in the U.S. to be able to speak Spanish.